Midway Mustang Memo
May 2023
Families
Dear Mustang Families,
Thank you for a successful completion of the Georgia Milestones Assessment for the 2022-2023 school year. Students worked tirelessly to apply skills and share content knowledge they have acquired during this school year. We are so proud of their hard work and determination. We appreciate the support of parents and the diligent work of our staff in preparing students this year. Parents will be notified via Parent Messenger when Georgia Milestones scores are available in the Parent Portal (usually mid-June). Parents will be notified again when the Individual Student Reports are available in the Parent Portal (usually mid-July).
From the bottom of our hearts, we want to thank each of our Mustang students and staff as well as our families. We are so grateful for your support and partnership in making this year a success. The students have truly grown in Mind, Body, and Spirit. We’ve been able to offer many activities and celebrations to support academics, social emotional development, and time to fellowship as a Midway community. Everyone has earned a well-deserved summer vacation. We want all our Mustangs to be safe and have fun. In addition, remember to continue reading and practicing math skills over the summer. Practicing ten minutes a day can help students stay on track and minimize the loss of key academic skills. See below for ideas and opportunities provided by our Instructional Coaches below.
This year, Forsyth County Schools and Midway Elementary worked diligently to stay safe, connected, and thriving. Last summer, we challenged our staff to participate in our first #MustangMission. Staff took pictures holding up the Midway Mustang image and shared them with us. We used these pictures to learn more about each other, to celebrate, and to connect. We have continued this opportunity to connect with pictures throughout the school year via our daily staff memo and on social media. We want to share this mission with all our Mustangs this summer. We would love to know about the various adventures our students experience throughout their summer vacation. Please use this link to share a picture of fun activities or trips your students participate in during June and July. We will send home a paper copy of the Midway Mustang image next Friday, May 19th for students/families to hold up in their pictures. We’ll use these on our Midway Morning News broadcast at the beginning of next school year and share on social media.
Thank you for sharing your precious students with us. Please let us know if you have any questions or need anything at all.
Kind regards,
~Daphne Rogers, Jennifer Brown, & Davis Barlow
Important Dates
May 10th: Midway Math Night 6-7:30
May 12th: PTO International Festival 5:30-7:30pm
May 22nd: Field Day
May 25th: Early Release and Last Day of School
SAVE THE DATES:
July 29th: Ice Cream Social
August 1st: Open House and Kindergarten Roundup
ELM Awards-Synergy
Color Blast Heart Heros
Denmark Community Spring Fling
Denmark Community Spring Fling
Midway Science Night
FCS Math Pi Competition
Sharpen the Saw Day-Dogs
Sharpen the Saw Day-Outdoor Games
Sharpen the Saw Day-Pottery
New Learning Management System
More information at Forsyth County Schools Instructional Technology site
Summer Reading Fun at the Post Road Library!
Sign up NOW for this year's Summer Reading Program at Forsyth County Public Library! Just log your reading to earn motivating incremental prizes and the chance to win fabulous grand prizes at the end of the summer. The library also has tons of exciting free programs all summer long featuring magicians, comedians, animals, scientists and more. Summer Reading Fun begins on May 25, but early registration is open NOW at forsythpl.beanstack.org
Click HERE for a list of all programs for K–5 this summer at Post Road Library!
News from the Nurse
If your child has any medication in the clinic, it must be picked up by the last day of school. YOU must come to school to pick up, as I am not allowed to send any medications home with a child. We are not permitted to store medications over the summer and per the FDA, any medications not picked up will be destroyed. Please contact your school nurse and plan to pick up any unused medications from the clinic no later than 5/24/23 3 PM.
Parents of Students with Medical Conditions and Medications please see below:
The county requires new medical forms EVERY school year for every student that has a listed medical condition. The forms must be signed by a doctor and dated after the last day of school this year for the 2023/2024 school year. Please provide them to your school nurse when school resumes in August to ensure a safe and healthy school year.
Please click the link below or visit my school nurse page on the website to print the necessary Action Plan Form for each medical condition.
https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/site/Default.aspx?PageID=707
· Epi pen and/or Benadryl require an Allergy Action Plan
· Asthma medications require an Asthma Action Plan
· Seizure Medications require a Seizure Action Plan
· Use the Individual Healthcare Plan for conditions not listed
· Other health condition forms are available as well
· For any medications use the Medication Administration Form
· All daily over the counter and prescription medications will require a doctor’s signature.
READING THROUGH THE SUMMER
Greetings, Parents!
Summer is the perfect time to relax, unwind and think about the accomplishments of the school year. It is also the perfect time to indulge in some new books!
Public libraries often host summer reading challenges where kids can earn rewards. On top of that, the bookstore is a great place to locate new interests or pick up a Summer Bridge book to help prepare for the following school year.
Encouraging your child to read over the summer prevents the likelihood of summer reading loss, which is something that frequently happens when reading isn't consistent. Encourage your child to read to you and with you. Summer is a great opportunity to spend extra time together, so why not curl up with a good book you both enjoy?
You can also put your own reading challenge in place for your child. Your child can track the volume of reading on a summer reading log by adding a book title or even a sticker for every 15 minutes they read. Perhaps you can both agree on a reward when a certain number of steps have been accomplished. Their future teacher would certainly love to see how much reading they did over the summer!
Whether it's a new series, or an oldie-but-goodie, reading is a crucial part of your child's continued academic and social development.
Enjoy your summer, and happy reading!
Sarah LeBlanc
Instructional Coach K-5
Math Summer Information
Summer break is typically a time for kids to kick back, indulge in a little extra screen time, play outside, and embrace the kind of freedom that only comes with being young and having zero responsibilities. However, all of this free time can lead to the summer slide, a regression in academic proficiency due to summer break, and experts warn it is hindering kids’ progress when they head back to school.
Research shows that students can lose 2-3 months of learning over the summer. Your child should practice skills learned this school year to ensure standards are retained. Help your child be prepared for the next grade by making it a habit to work with him/her at least 3 times a week this summer. Consider adding in math practice to your routine using the following suggestions.
- Dreambox: 30-60 minutes/5+ lessons per week
- Parents: Sign-up to access your child’s Dreambox progress and usage at this link. You can also use this link to understand the features of the dashboard that details your child’s progress and which grade level standards he/she is currently practicing. More information HERE
- Work in your EnVision workbooks or Illustrative Math workbooks
- Beast Academy (only preregistered students)
- Challenge! Numberle.org
- Greg Tang Skill Games and Learning Games
- Problem Solving: create silly story problems on car rides and other extended periods of time using addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Start with 1 step problems, then moving to 2-step problems!
- Flashcards: Addition & Subtraction OR Multiplication & Division facts- Found at the dollar store or make your own
Mary Catherine Adam
Math Instructional Coach
Counselor’s Corner
Hello Midway Family.
Our last Coffee With the Counselors: Internet Safety was very informative. We encourage all parents to watch it. All sessions were recorded and posted on the counselor’s webpage on Midway’s website (click HERE - https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/Page/54593. )
Please take a moment and fill out this survey (https://forms.office.com/r/4MLmxZwY5k) to provide feedback for the 2023-2024 school year.
Does your student need a Summer Tutor? Our tutoring list is located HERE (https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/Page/53235)
5th graders will be participating in their transition lessons and activities, and learning how to use those combination locks. 5th grade parents, be sure to check out your student’s middle school pages for more information on transitioning to middle school. If any questions, you can contact Mrs. Malcolm.
Have a safe and restful summer,
Mrs. Malcolm and Mrs. Hodges
School Counselors
7 Habits
The 7 Habits are principles that help people to be leaders of themselves and others.
The 7 habits are divided into the Private Victory (Habits 1-3), which means mastering self, and the Public Victory (Habits 4-6), mastering relationships with others. The important note is that private victory always precedes the public victory. This is also called the Inside-Out approach to life.
At Midway Elementary, we think of the 7 Habits like a tree.
Habit 1: Be Proactive (September)
Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind (October)
·Habit 3: Put First Things First (November/December)
Habit 4: Think Win-Win – Everyone Can Win! (January)
· Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood – Listen First Then Talk. (February)
· Habit 6: Synergize – Work Together To Do Better. (March)
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw (April)
Be sure to ask your student about The 7 Habits! We are learning to become Strong in Mind, Body, & Spirit!
PTO News
Midway PTO thanks all our Midway Parents, Teachers and Students for participating in our community events. We also thanks our community sponsors for supporting Midways goals in the 2022/2023 school year.
The PTO hopes you will join us for our last event, May 12th: International Festival.
Midway Cafe
There will be NO CHARGING allowed for student meals STARTING on May 1, 2023.
Please check account balances to determine the funds needed for meals for the remainder of this school year. To ensure your child can continue to enjoy school meals or to clear your student's account of any negative balances, please send a payment (cash or check) to the school cafeteria, or you may visit www.MyPaymentsPlus.com, to make a payment online.
Remember to note your child's Student ID on your check or to include it with cash in an envelope. We accept Free and Reduced Applications each school day.
Options for account balances: Money on customer accounts will automatically carry forward to the assigned school for the new academic year.
If your child is leaving the district or they are graduating you may transfer the funds to another sibling's account, donate the funds, or request a refund. For the Donation/Transfer/Refund procedure go to the link below:
Meal Account Transfer/Refund Form.
Thank you!
FCS Food and Nutrition Department
Get up to date info from Midway on your phone!
Want to be the first to know about school notices & reminders? You can receive a text message right on your phone by texting @midw22 to the number 81010
Forsyth County Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, or gender in employment decisions or educational programs and activities.
Midway Elementary School
Email: jlundstrum@forsyth.k12.ga.us
Website: www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/midway
Location: 4805 Atlanta Highway, Alpharetta, GA, United States
Phone: 770-475-6670
Facebook: facebook.com/midwayes
Twitter: @MidwayES